Sponge mops are widely used household utensils for washing floors, windows and walls. In general, a sponge mop comprises a handle with a bracket at one end which holds a resilient sponge, usually rectangular in shape. The sponge is generally removable when it is dirty or damaged so that a new sponge refill can be installed and the mop reused.
For most household uses it is desirable that the cleaning solution or rinse water be expelled or extracted from the sponge at various times during a cleaning operation. This is desirably done without wetting the hands, with little body bending and without lifting the sponge substantially above the height of a pail or bucket. Accordingly, various sponge mops have been developed, and some made available commercially, which include mechanisms for applying pressure to the sponge to squeeze out the water or cleaning solution. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,643,407; 2,706,303; and 2,834,035 are representative of the prior art disclosing sponge mops with water extracting mechanisms. While the previously available sponge mops serve a useful purpose and have one or more desirable attributes, there is a need for a highly efficient simple sponge mop with a reliable water extracting mechanism which can be readily manufactured and made available commercially at an acceptable price in a competitive market.